People all around the globe are trying out a new appliance invented in Utah. It is being used in Australia, India and Europe, South America and all over the U.S. Instead of canning and dehydrating, the world has found a much better solution from a Utah company called Harvest Right.

It is a home freeze dryer that is quickly becoming a standard household appliance. In the past nobody had one because they cost $30,000 or more. Harvest Right has made them affordable and better.

Moms like Sharon Woolsey, who refers to herself as being adventurous in the kitchen, find themselves in an interesting position when it comes to having a pantry full of ready to use food.

Most foods Woolsey purchases from her local grocery store have a short shelf life. Fresh fruits and vegetables last a few days at best. Canned foods last a little longer but are full of excessive salt and additives that she doesn't want to feed her children. Frozen foods don't last long either. On occasion her kids even forget to close the freezer door, then the food thaws and is a mess.

Woolsey also worries that there will come a time when her family may need a little supply of food to see them through a tough time. She knows people who had to weather Hurricane Sandy a few years ago and they were weeks without being able to go to the grocery store.

Woolsey lived in South America for a few years and has unique recipes her family likes her to make—as do most mothers. Being able to have her cupboards full of ready to eat meals, fruits and vegetables that her family loves is something she has sought for years.

Sharon has both canned and dehydrated food but hasn't been completely happy with the results. She knows that using heat to preserve food ruins much of the nutritional value and the food usually doesn't taste as good as it did when it was fresh.

Whether it was her fearlessness in the kitchen or her need to balance many roles as a working mom, Woolsey found motivation to try something different — a home freeze dryer.

"Of all the interesting and innovative appliances I've worked with, this was possibly the most amazing, the most interesting, and the most innovative," Woolsey said after her first few months with the freeze dryer.

About the freeze dryer

The freeze dryer is made by Harvest Right, a U.S. business headquartered in Utah, and the only successful home freeze dryer manufacturer in the world.

It was invented for people just like Woolsey. It took years to engineer and manufacture a freeze dryer that was affordable, small enough for a home, and automated enough to make it easy to use for the consumer.

This convenient appliance is about the size of a mini-fridge and can be used in a variety of locations such as a kitchen, spare room, laundry room, or even a garage. Woolsey keeps her freeze dryer in her garage during the winter and brings it into her food storage closet during the hot summer months.

How to make it work for you

Woolsey uses her freeze dryer three or four times per week. With it, she can freeze dry 6 to 10 pounds of food at a time, which amounts to about 1,400 pounds of food a year.

She's found that her freeze dried foods are still fresh after the freeze drying process; they are just without water. So, when water is added back to them they return to normal and taste just as good as new. Because of this Woolsey buys foods on sale and freeze dries it for later use.

Her family likes the freeze dried fruits and meals so much that they regularly snack on the fruits instead of cookies and potato chips. And at meal times for convenience they will often open a package of soup, pasta, or even roast turkey. When they rehydrate the turkey they use it on sandwiches and in salads. Woolsey says she can't tell it from fresh.

Woolsey packages most of what she dries in Mylar (metallic) bags along with an oxygen absorber. When packaged in this way, the food should last 15 to 25 years. This is an essential tool for Sharon and anyone else who thinks it is important to have a supply of food on hand.

People like Woolsey love the fact that they no longer have to feed their families canned processed foods that are full of salt and preservatives. And, instead of the hard work and time that it takes to bottle and can, they can do it a lot easier and better by freeze drying.

What's the difference between a freeze dryer and dehydrator?

Both canning and dehydrating heat the food which immediately reduces the foods nutritional makeup by almost 50 percent. Alternatively, the freeze dryer uses a very cold process to preserve the food; as a result, nearly 100 percent of the nutritional value is saved.

The taste and appearance of the food stays intact. A freeze dried grape still looks and tastes like a grape (not a raisin); a slice of peach still looks and tastes the same as a fresh peach. Meats and seafood stay fresh and taste fresh even after being freeze dried. Amazingly, it will stay fresh for 15 to 25 years.

Whether freeze drying full meals like lasagna and beef stew or preserving dairy products like cheddar cheese, yogurt and even ice cream, Woolsey has confidence that the food is going to taste great.

Besides preserving meals for daily use as well as long-term storage and for making delicious baked goods, She has also found her new appliance useful in preserving her garden bounty. Like many avid gardeners, she saw food going to waste because she couldn't use it fast enough. Now, that has all changed.

"I love to preserve my fresh produce in the freeze dryer because it plumps back to life so beautifully. It's also the absolute best way to preserve herbs, especially as they retain 100 percent of their flavor.

Don't throw away leftovers, preserve them

"The ability to keep food from going bad helps offset the price tag of the product," Woolsey said. Government studies show that families annually throw out $2,250 worth of food on average. That number alone pays for the freeze dryer.

People like Woolsey can now freeze dry things like ripening fruits, vegetables, leftover meals, meats and even containers of ice cream before it they go to waste. Instead of a week or two, these things will now last 20 or more years.

Freeze-dried pineapple, grapes and yogurt drops have replaced favorite candies in the Woolsey home. She turns freeze-dried spinach and Greek yogurt into powder to add to her morning smoothies; and freeze-dried ice cream dipped in chocolate has become a popular treat at her house parties.

It's time to change the way you do food. Make the most of your food storage, garden and leftovers today. Learn more about this revolutionary appliance at HarvestRight.com or call 801-899-0090.

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